Through a groundbreaking joint venture between Genius Brands
International (“Genius Brands”) (NASDAQ:GNUS) and Stan Lee’s POW!
Entertainment, an agreement has been struck to create
Stan
Lee Universe.
Stan Lee Universe will
assume worldwide rights, in perpetuity, to the name, physical
likeness, physical signature, live-action and animated motion
picture, television, online, digital, publishing, comic book,
merchandising and licensing rights to Stan Lee and his IP creations
past*, present, and going forward.
In announcing the deal today, Andy Heyward, Chairman & CEO
of Genius Brands, said that, “In all of Hollywood, there is no
greater prize. This is the Holy Grail. Stan Lee
Universe is a once in a lifetime asset drawn from over 100
original, heretofore unexploited properties, created by the most
successful creator of intellectual property of our time.”
Jointly owned and subject to due diligence and documentation,
the deal will leave Genius Brands as the managing and controlling
partner of the Stan Lee Universe joint
venture.
Stan Lee was the creator of the most successful characters ever
made, including Spiderman, Iron
Man, Black Panther, The
Incredible Hulk, X Men, Thor, Captain America, Ms.
Marvel, Silver Surfer,
Antman, Nick Fury,
Guardians of the Galaxy, and of course the #1
movie box-office franchise of all time, The
Avengers. For decades, Stan was the editor and
creative force behind Marvel Comics, which was sold to the Walt
Disney Company for $4.4 billion and has since proved to be worth
many multiples of that amount.
In addition to the #1 movie box office hit, Avengers
Endgame, Stan Lee created two of the Walt Disney
Company’s top three blockbusters, and five of the
top 12 grossing movies of all
time.
“It’s almost impossible to conceive that one mind created all
this wealth,” said Heyward. “The spinoffs alone defy the
imagination. From animated television, to toys, apparel,
video games, and every conceivable licensed product imaginable,
Stan Lee characters populate the screens and retail shelves
worldwide. There is no creator who has influenced pop culture and
created more successful entertainment. Not even Walt Disney. Over
and over, again and again, he created characters and stories that
resonated in the hearts and minds of all peoples of all ages around
the world, with billions and billions and billions of dollars of
motion picture box-office, television, and consumer product
licensing.”
Stan Lee Universe will be built from the
repository of all of the characters and IP created by Stan Lee,
post-Marvel Entertainment*, not otherwise elsewhere. It is
drawn from over 100 original Stan Lee creations, from which it will
develop and license approximately seven properties per year.
“Having worked with Stan and been a close friend for almost 30
years, nothing could make me prouder than for Genius Brands to
become the guardian of both his brand and body of work,” commented
Heyward. “I have no doubt that the greatest characters, the
greatest stories, and the greatest hits from the mind of Stan Lee
have yet to be told. As big as Spider Man, Black Panther, X Men,
and the Avengers are today, tomorrow it will be Stan Lee’s
TOMORROW MEN, his STRINGBEAN,
his BLACK FURY, and
VIRUS.”
Former President of Marvel Productions, Margaret Loesch, said,
“Stan Lee was a one of a kind. So is this asset. Stan
Lee Universe is going to be an unimaginable source of
blockbuster entertainment for many years to come.”
Former President of Walt Disney Television and Chief Content
Officer of Genius Brands’ new Kartoon Channel!, David Neuman said,
“The spinoff opportunities for Kartoon Channel! alone are
mindboggling, including a dedicated Stan Lee
Universe program block.”
Heyward concluded, “When we looked at the depth of these
creations that sit in this library, the magnitude and value of this
asset slowly began to sink in. There simply is no greater treasure
chest of Intellectual Property anywhere. I feel like we went down
to the basement of John Lennon and Paul McCartney’s recording
studio and found 200 songs that had never been released. One
was called Yesterday, another was called Hey Jude, and another
called Sergeant Pepper. They were just waiting for us to bring them
forth to the market, along with their names and likenesses,
signatures, and the right to merchandise the Beatles. It
feels that big to us!
“We will be creating a dedicated business and creative unit
specific to Stan Lee Universe. For the millions of
Stan Lee fans, we look forward to taking this unique asset and
faithfully bringing the characters to the movie screens, to comic
books, to toys and licensed products worldwide.
“For the Genius Brands’ shareholders, we look forward to
effectively and smartly monetizing this asset across all platforms.
I have no doubt that we will attract the most talented producers,
directors, and marketers in the world as we unlock this one of a
kind treasury and bring forth the next wave of Stan Lee creations
for the world to experience and enjoy. We are proceeding
immediately with our due diligence and expect final documentation
to follow promptly thereafter.”
About Genius Brands
International Genius Brands International, Inc.
(Nasdaq: GNUS) is a leading global kids media company developing,
producing, marketing and licensing branded children’s entertainment
properties and consumer products for media and retail
distribution. The Company’s award-winning ‘content with a purpose’
portfolio includes the upcoming Stan Lee’s Superhero
Kindergarten, starring Arnold Schwarzenegger; Rainbow
Rangers for Nick Jr.; Llama Llama, starring Jennifer
Garner, for Netflix; award-winning toddler
brand Baby Genius; adventure comedy STEM
series Thomas Edison's Secret Lab; and entrepreneurship
series Warren Buffett's Secret Millionaires Club. Through
licensing agreements with leading partners, characters from
Genius Brands’ IP also appear on a wide range of consumer products
for the worldwide retail marketplace. The Company’s new Kartoon
Channel! is available in over 100 million U.S. television
households via a broad range of distribution
platforms, including Comcast, Cox, DISH, Amazon
Prime, Sling TV, Apple TV, Roku, Amazon Fire and more. For
additional information, please
visit www.gnusbrands.com.
Forward-Looking
Statements:Certain statements in this press release
constitute "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the
federal securities laws. Words such as "may," "might," "will,"
"should," "believe," "expect," "anticipate," "estimate,"
"continue," "predict," "forecast," "project," "plan," "intend" or
similar expressions, or statements regarding intent, belief, or
current expectations, are forward-looking statements. While the
Company believes these forward-looking statements are reasonable,
undue reliance should not be placed on any such forward-looking
statements, which are based on information available to us on the
date of this release. These forward-looking statements are based
upon current estimates and assumptions and are subject to various
risks and uncertainties, including without limitation those set
forth in the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange
Commission (the "SEC"), not limited to Risk Factors relating to its
patent business contained therein. Thus, actual results could be
materially different. The Company expressly disclaims any
obligation to update or alter statements whether as a result of new
information, future events or otherwise, except as required by
law.
MEDIA CONTACT:pr@gnusbrands.com
INVESTOR RELATIONS
CONTACT:
ir@gnusbrands.com
A photo accompanying this announcement is available at
https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/7bb1042d-4ecc-4b93-988e-d35a2cd4948f
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